Black Sabbath is an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler, and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often referred to as the pioneers of heavy metal. After Osborne's departure in 1979, the lineup changed repeatedly and the only permanent member throughout the band's history was Iommi.
In 1969 the band settled on the name Black Sabbath. The band's style was characterized by occult themes, horror-inspired lyrics, and down-tuned guitars. Signed to Philips Records in November 1969, they released their first single "Evil Woman" in January 1970, and their debut album Black Sabbath was released the following month. Although the album received negative reactions from critics, it was a commercial success, leading to the release of their next album, Paranoid, later that year. The band's popularity grew, and by the 1973 album Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, critics began to review the band positively.
As of 2013, Black Sabbath had sold over 70 million records worldwide, making them one of the most commercially successful heavy metal bands. Black Sabbath, along with Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin, have been called "the unholy trinity of British hard rock and heavy metal of the early and mid-seventies. They were called "the greatest metal band of all time" and ranked second on VH1's list of "The 100 Greatest Hard Rock Performers". Rolling Stone magazine ranked them 85th on their list of "The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time." Black Sabbath were inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. They have also won two Grammy Awards for Best Metal Performance, and in 2019 the band was presented with a Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement